Apparatus for vaporizing hydrocarbon mixtures



March 1, 1927. G. WLRRER ,619,050

APPARATUS FOR VAPORIZING HYDROCARBON MIXTURES Filed July 27, 1925 moewboz f LJUULQA/ iii iiatented M... 1, 1927.

UNETED STATES 1,619,050 PATENT OFFICE.

GOTTFRIED WIRRER, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL MOTOR COMPANY 5 OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 01 DELAWARE.

APPARATUS FOR-VAPORIZ HVG HYDROCARBON MIXTURES.

Application filed July 27, 1923. Serial No; 654,099.

This invention relates to apparatus for the practice of the method of vaporizing fuel described and claimed broadly in the copending application filed by the present applicant on April 21,1922, Serial No. 555,845, in accordance with which it is proposed to separate out from the explosive mixture the heavy ends of liquid fuel, subject such liquid fuel to a vaporizing heat and re-introduce such vaporized fuel back into the mixture for introduction at a predetermined temperature into an internal combustion motor.

, as to direct the mixture against the wall of i the chamber where the unevaporated portions of the fuel may collect over a large superficial area and the lower end of the upper section of the riser is "so formed as to receive the ,o'nflowing mixture only after it has described a very circuitous course which brings it over 'the inner wall of the chamber to the greatest possible extent. In the latter application the separator'chamber communicates with a va orizing chamber for the heavy fuel ends w 'ch is disposed at a point remote from the separator and is subjected to the heat of the exhaust gases whereby the heavy ends are evaporated and returned to the mixture while the mixture itself is not subjected to the direct heat of such exhaust gases. "While the prior arrangement is eflectivein withdrawing the unevaporated portions of the fuel to enable a mixture of a constant temperature and density to 'be introduced into the inlet manifold; it issometimes desirable to vary the temperature and'density of the mixture according'to the working conditions of the motor. The present improvements relate particularly to the construction of a separator which will permit of a control of the withdrawal of the unevaporated portion of v the fuel from the mixture during its passage pIresent applicant on June 29,

tion by utilizing a separator similar in func- V tion and design'to that disclosed in application No. 648,470, but the evaporating cham ber, instead of being separate and remote from the separating chamber so that the separating chamber is not subjected to the heat of the exhaust gases is coincident therewith and the exhaust gases heat the gaseous mixture as well as the unevaporated fuel collected in the separating chamber. The exhaust gases are conducted in heat interchanging relationship with the walls of the separating, chamber by passages arranged in parallel and the flow of the gases through certain of said passages is "controlled by a valve or the like whereby the'heating of the mixture is controlled. I

The improvements'will be described with greater particularity hereinafter connection with the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the l I inlet riser, combined separator and evaporator chamber and, exhaust pipe showing the relation of parts.

Figure 2 is a view in vertical section of the combined separator and evaporator chamber taken in the plane indicated by the line 22 in Figure 1 andlooking in the direction of the arrows Figure '3 is a view in vertical section through the separator taken on the plane indicated by the line 3-'-3 in Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

In accordance with the improved method in said e o-pending application Serial No. 555,845 the mixture after being formed inthe .usual manner is passed to the inlet haust pipe at a and the combined separatorv and vaporizer chamber at d. The mixture formed by the metering device a rises through the pipe section e whichterminates within the chamber (Z. Adjacent the riser section 6, but with its lower end disposed generally below the level of the upper end of said section e is a second riser section f which communicates with the inlet manifold Z). The general relationship between the sections 6 and f, in the preferred embodiment is shown in Figure 2 where it appears that the upper edge of section e is inclined as indicated at e and is so presented to the side wall of the chamber d as to di rect the mixture towards the side wall and disperse it over a large superficial area. Similarly the lower edge of the other section f is inclined as indicated at f and faces in the opposite direction so that the gaseous mixture within'the chamber (1 before flowing into the section 7' must circulate throughout the chamber d. This relationship of sections 0 and f insures the collection of the liquid fuel particles carried in suspension in the mixture along the walls of the chamher (i and their constant separation out from the gaseous mixture which is free to flow withoutappreciable loss of pressure up through the section fto the inlet manifold I By having the chamber of greater vol- I umetric capacity than the pipe e the velocity of the gas passing through the chamber is decreased, thereby insuring the separation out of the maximum quantity of unevaporated fuel ends. The relationship between risers c and f and the method of separating the liquid fuel particles from the mixture is disclosed in coending application Serial No. 648,470. owever in the apparatus of the co-pending application, the liquid fuel, separated out from the mixture, is withdrawn and conducted to a vaporizing chamber remote from the point of separation, the entire liquid evaporated and the va or returned, thereby insuring a dry gas going to the manifold 6. Under certain conditions of operation however it is desirable, as pointed out hereinbefore, to admit the mixture to the manifold carrying a predetermined amount of fuel particles. To permit this the separation and vaporization are carried out in the same chamber and the temperature of the chamber is controlled.

5 In the preferred embodiment the bottom wall (1 of the chamber cl is inclined as indicated in Figure 2 and is formed at thek, may be disposed in the depression d whereby liquid gasoline may be quickly vaporized to provide the motor with an initial rich starting mixture. The temperature of the separating chamber at is regulated by the flow of hot exhaust gases through passages c and 0 The fiow of the heating medium through these two passages is controlled by valve i operated by lever 71'. Passage 0 is in contact over a considerable area. with the inner wall of chamber 03 and hot gases passing through this passage will influence to a great extent the temperature of the chamber. Passage 0 however, is practically not in contact with the inner wall of. the cham ber and will have comparatively little influence on the temperature therein. This passage may be considered as a by-pass for the heated gases around the chamber. By means of valve 2', as will be plain upon an inspection of Figure 3, the flow of the exhaust gases through the passages c and c and consequently the temperature of the chamber (1 may be controlled. A passage d is formed between passage 0 and chamber d to permit hot exhaust gas to enter the separator to dilute the mixture to a certain extent whereby a higher compression pressure is obtained and vaporization is facilitated.

The scope of the invention will appear from the appended claims which are intended to cover all equivalent forms of the devices herein shown.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with an inlet manifold and a metering device for hydrocarbon fuel, a collecting chamber having an inclined bottom wall, a passage for exhaust gases formed in said wall adj acent-the extreme inclined portion thereof, a second passage formed in and adjacent to a wall of the chamber remote from first mentioned passage, a third passage substantially remote from a wall of said chamber and means to.

clined bottom wall, a passage for exhaust flow of exhaust gases in the second and gases formed in said wall adjacent the exthird passages and a passage for exhaust 1 treme inclined portion thereof, a second gases from the second passage into the passage formed in and adjacent to a wall chamber.

of the chamber remote from said first men- This specification signed this 24th day of tioned passage, a third passage cast integral July A. D. 1923. 1

with said chamber but substantially remote from a wall thereof, a valve to control the GOTTFRIED WIRRER. 

